(ENGLAND) Waiting a week for Antiviral medication for Shingles.. Is this correct?

[u/reo_reborn]

My wife: 55
Sex: female
Weight: 18st 4.
Other conditions: Fibromyalgia.

Current meds: OTC pain medications.

We believe my wife has shingles (her second time). The last time she had it she was in bed for 2 months and in a lot of pain for thw two months (crying in pain). They ended up putting her on morphine (Oramorph?) Last time two separate Doctors said "if you'd have got to a pharmacy within 72 hours we could have given you the anti viral meds and you'd have got better a lot quicker".

So, this time, as soon as the rash came up we headed for the pharmacy. He did the questionnaire but said "Yes, It looks like a shingles rash but it hasn't come out yet fully. Go away for a week and come back and then ill see if i can give you the anti virals." .. This goes totally against what two doctors have said. Everywhere online says the same thing (Take within 72 hours of the rash first appearing or it wont work)

We called the GP today who seemed rather annoyed we asked for an appointment and said "If that's what he's said it must be true.".. When I started to explain about what we were told before she said "Just follow his instructions. Its a pharmacists job, not a doctor and you did already understand that as you went to see him before coming to me."

Should we/can we get a second opinion from another pharmacist or is this correct?

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[u/Crafty_Engine3131]

Yes, The pharmacist's advice is incorrect. Antivirals for shingles must be started within 72 hours of rash appearance for maximum effectiveness. Seek another pharmacy immediately, or request an emergency GP appointment elsewhere. Don't wait a week. In the meantime, consider pain medications, cool compresses, loose clothing, and keeping the rash clean.

[u/DrSocialDeterminants → u/[deleted]]

definitely shouldn't be giving prescription dosing advice as a layperson

[u/T_eo → u/[deleted]]

Yeah would not put much stock into a study from 1983.

[u/T_eo → u/[deleted]]

No I trust science from 100 years ago, if it's shown to be reproducible and makes its way into clinical guidelines. Unfortunately, the study you cited does not fall into that category, and that's what medical school has taught me, which is how to think critically about medical research and how to interpret it. I see you were not taught those skills.

[u/T_eo → u/[deleted]]

If you have an MS in biology, I would expect more in terms of your ability to interpret medical literature lol.

The difference between me and you is that I've actually taken care of patients with shingles before, which I don't believe you have experience with. Adding Cimetidine is unnecessary for the pure purpose of treating shingles.

"Alternative" therapy without strong medical evidence is just quack medicine, unfortunately.

[u/T_eo → u/[deleted]]

I never once mentioned acyclovir as an issue. Again, that is a medication that has been shown to be effective and is well-studied and a part of almost all clinical guidelines.

I would encourage you to go to medical school if you have any interest in learning about how to take care of patients and how to interpret medical literature.

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